An NSE five-member research team was awarded first place for their poster entitled High-Temperature Salts for Solar Thermal Electricity Production and High-Temperature Nuclear Heat Storage. Dr. Charles Forsberg, Dr. Tom McKrell, Prof. Jacopo Buongiorno, postdoctoral associate Jong Won Kim and graduate student Stefano Passerini presented their research on three coupled salt projects at the October 6 MIT Energy Initiative Research Conference which showcased projects at the Institute funded in part by the MITEI Seed Funds.

The winning poster summarized research on three related projects:
• Design and development of a salt cooled high-temperature reactor
• MIT Concentrated Solar Power on Demand (CSPond) development of advanced solar power systems
• Design and development of high temperature heat storage for high temperature reactors.

The common thread in the three projects is the measurement of various properties of salt and their applications in heat exchangers, valves, system dynamics, and power systems. Taken together the series of projects is one of few in the country that encompasses a fully synergistic approach to nuclear solar research.

One of the three projects, the design and development of salt-cooled high temperature reactors, was recently awarded a Department of Energy Integrated Research Project award (learn more).